More Than A Bite
by Jamielikewhoa
Summary: 17 year old Remus Lupin is usually content to relax in the shadows of his best friends, and always chides them for chasing after girls.However,in the summer before his seventh year,he meets a Muggle girl who changes his whole outlook on life. Chapter 3 up
1. Say Goodbye

**Authors Note-Okay, so in the books it seems like Tonks was the only girl that Remus had ever been with. I like to think, however that there was someone before Tonks. A Muggle girl. The story will follow Remus into adulthood, and I have a few chapters written already. I decided to post two chapters, so in case you don't like the first so much, hopefully the second will be better.**

**Disclaimer-I do not own any of these characters, JKR does. **

Remus Lupin writhed on the hard wooden floor the of the small cabin. He could feel his nose growing into a snout, the hair on his head spreading all over his body and becoming longer, more bristly…he could still think somewhat, he knew who he was, but that was just for the moment. He screamed in agony as his hands and fingernails turned into paws and claws, the pain shot up his arms and down through his spine, forcing him to lay flat on the floor and through his hind legs, where his feet were becoming paws as well. Where were James, Sirius, and Peter? He could feel that his thoughts were becoming less and less human…all he could smell now was flesh, human flesh, the smell, oh that wonderful smell…his snout sniffed the air hungrily, he needed nothing other than to break out of there, to bite, bite something, rip it's flesh apart. The need was consuming him as the transformation completed. His friends were still not there, they weren't coming he knew, he'd have to suffer this completely alone, spend the entire night in this torture chamber. 

He threw himself from wall to wall, ripping up the floorboards, and gnawing on them, gaining no satisfaction. He sunk his claws into the already demolished bed, where were they where were they? The smell of human blood came closer, his stomach rumbled, and he stopped clawing the bed. It was coming from the passageway, yes, yes this is what he wanted. His nose went into the air in an instant, and he bounded to the door, jaws dripping saliva as he waited patiently. He walked up the passage, hoping to catch whoever it was before they could come into the room and have somewhere to run, he didn't want to chase, the bloodlust inside him didn't want the challenge. It wanted the feeding to be swift. 

He saw a small, pale face, for an instant, and snapped his jaws hungrily as he ran towards the face. It disappeared quickly, and he ran after. As soon as he left the exit however, a large, hard branch threw him back in. Blood trickled from the gash in his chest as he howled in agony. He was alone, all alone…

Remus Lupin the human woke up, sweaty from his dream. His light brown hair was plastered to his head, and his red striped pajamas were soaked with sweat. He tried to stop his self from shaking, to stop his teeth from chattering, but he couldn't. Thank goodness it was the end of the year…he wanted to go home, go home to his parents. He looked forward to his seventh year, but he missed the comfort of home. Home he was safe, there was still the danger of his transformations, but his parents always made his summer holidays more than worth the two summer nights of torture.

He always missed his friends, but they corresponded using owl post, and they were together for the whole year. Two months of separation would be okay. Of course, Padfoot and Prongs were inseparable the entire year, but unlike Sirius, Remus liked his family, even though they didn't have much. Remus just sat up in bed for a moment, trying to clear his head by admiring the sunrise occurring outside. The sky was no longer the deep blue-black adorned by liberal sprinklings of stars that he knew so well; it was a deep purple color, with a semi-circle of red orange tinged with pink slowly rising. After his breathing was totally normal and he felt that he could close his eyes without seeing his dream play out again, he fell back asleep.

A mere hour later, Remus woke to find a pair of light brown eyes staring directly into his face. "Aahh!" he screamed and threw James off of him onto the floor. In the bed directly next to him, a slightly tan face poked out from behind the bed-curtains. 

"What the hell are you two prats doing out here?" Sirius said grumpily. 

"Last day of term excitement, Padfoot" James grinned at his best friend from the floor.

"Well can you please be excited when I'm not trying to get some rest? It takes a lot to wake up this sexy." With that his face disappeared behind the curtains again. James pulled himself up from the floor and ripped the curtains back open.

"Riight," he said. "Well you may be less than your best today cause you're getting up and we're going flying before we have to leave."

Sirius put a pillow over his head to block out the sun that was now streaming it's pale yellow rays onto his bed. "Breakfast?" said his voice muffled.

"Flying first, food after" James said from his trunk, where he was pulling on robes and taking out his broom.

"The things I do for friends" Sirius muttered as he swung his legs over the side of his bed and went over to his trunk. "Hey, Wormy's still sleeping. Wake him up, James. No way piggy gets to sleep and I have to get up." James stopped lacing up his sneakers to poke Peter repetitively with his broomstick.

"Why the hell are you hitting me with your broomstick so early in the morning?" Peter whined nasally. 

"Stop your crying" Sirius said as he quickly pulled his long black hair into a ponytail. "Ready Prongs?" he asked, walking toward the stairs. 

"Yep" said James and he put his broomstick on his shoulder after running his fingers through his dark hair a few times. "Say, what are you gonna do before we have to leave, Moony?" 

"Try to find my things among all this mess" he said gesturing towards the floor which was littered with books, parchment, clothing, and quite a few broken quills. "I'll put your and Sirius' stuff on your beds."

"Thanks Moony" James said gratefully. "What would we do without you?"

"Miss the train, and probably do something incredibly stupid to try and catch up with it" he said wearily as he stood and picked up a book. He checked the name inside of it and saw Sirius' familiar scrawl. He tossed the Defense Against the Dark Arts book onto Sirius' already full bed. Magazines containing barely clothed Muggle girls, Quidditch plays, clothes, and various other articles were strewn all over the four poster.

James laughed and said "That would be great, but maybe not today. I'M COMING, COOL YOUR BLOODY HEELS!" Sirius had been screaming his name up the steps. 

Remus laughed at his friends as James went downstairs spewing a stream of curses at Sirius. He could hear Sirius' casual laughter and the closing of the portrait hole as they left. With only Peter left in the room, cleaning would be quiet. However, loud, peace-shattering snores soon began to emit from Peter's bed, and Remus grew agitated. He cleaned swiftly to escape from Peter's growls of sleep, and hurried downstairs to breakfast as quickly as he could. James and Sirius were already at the table, and Sirius' charm was in full effect. There were several fifth and fourth year girls crowded around him. Remus quickly slid into a seat beside James, who was making short work of a stack of pancakes and sausage. 

"How did cleaning go?" James asked through a mouthful of food, not even pausing to look at Remus as he shoveled food into his mouth.

"Fine" Remus said lightly as he helped himself to some eggs and hash browns. "You and Sirius really should pack, we're leaving after lunch."

"Oh, Sirius, will you write me over summer holiday?" asked one particularly smitten girl, Alice Green. She batted her black eyelashes and her violet eyes twinkled mischievously. 

"Erm…I'll see Alice" he said uncomfortably. The one girl whom he really had eyes for and totally respected was looking at him with a look of supreme disgust at him. The girl was Anne Waters. She was one of Lily's friends, and a very pretty girl who was amazing in Charms. She was roughly the color of milk chocolate, with deep brown eyes and curly black hair that hit her shoulders. She often tortured Sirius in the common room by charming his things. She had embarrassed him a few days ago when he bewitched an origami heart to sing to her, and she charmed all his clothes to shrink as soon as he put them on. All day he walked around looking like he was wearing a toddlers clothes. Even Professor McGonagall had spared a laugh at him. 

"Who's wrong side did you get on, today, Black?" she had said with a snicker, while Sirius' face turned beet red and Anne, Lily, and their friend Janie exploded into raucous laughter, as did Remus, James and Peter. Sirius had just shrunk into his seat as if Anne had placed the charm on him. 

Remus could see why Sirius liked her, but not why she liked him. Everyone knew that they liked each other, but like Lily, Anne refused to go out with a marauder, claiming that they were immature chauvinists. Except for Remus of course, they always added while smiling gently at him. James laughed at Sirius' reaction to Alice and Sirius' hand slyly reached over to James' plate and slid it into his lap.

Remus stared out the window as the Hogwarts Express rattled on the metal tracks. He saw brown, black and white cows, and rolling green pastures. There was a commotion in the hall and Sirius, James and Peter slipped into the compartment with perfectly angelic looks on their faces. There was moaning from in the hallway and Remus turned to his friends sharply. "And just what where you three doing?" he asked, sounding very much like McGonagall. 

"Ah, don't get your knickers in a bunch Moony" James said airily. "Just hexing a few Slytherins to celebrate the end of the year." Remus shook his head, and Anne Waters poked her head into the compartment. 

"James, Lily wants to talk to you about something," she said, completely ignoring Sirius despite the fact that he was looking up at her with the look of a lovesick puppy. James grinned and ruffled his hair slightly. Anne rolled her brown eyes. "No need to get all pretty" she said huffily.

Sirius, who was sitting right by the door, sheepishly said "Can I talk to you, Anne?" The look in his eyes must have said a lot to her, because she sighed slightly, grabbed his hand and led him out of the compartment. James looked at his reflection in the mirror, ruffled his hair again, and walked out as well. Only Remus and Peter were left. They weren't the best of friends, and neither was very talkative, so Remus picked up the book that he had sat next to him and began to read. His thoughts began to wander though, to thoughts of his friends. He thought that Sirius and James were so lucky. They had girls almost literally throwing themselves at them, while he had yet to kiss a female that wasn't a female member. He wondered vaguely is he ever would…but who would want to be with a werewolf?

Peter once again began snoring, and Remus noticed that the sky was growing dark. It wouldn't be long before they were back at King Cross station, Platform 9 and ¾. He pulled off his robes and stuffed them into the duffel bag he had in addition to his trunk. James and Sirius hadn't come back yet. Remus could only guess what was going on in Lily and her friends compartment. Just as he was thinking that, both Padfoot and Prongs came back into the compartment. Both had slightly red faces, and their eyes were dancing happily. 

"What happened to you two?" he asked as they too pulled off their robes. 

"Oh, nothing…Lily just wants to talk some more over the summer" James said with a huge grin. He sunk into his seat, a dreamy look in his face.

Sirius had an identical look on his face, and Remus noticed a hint of shiny gloss on his face that wasn't there before. "Anne has finally seen the light as well, mate" he said sleepily. "When are we getting there? I'm tired…and hungry. Hope your mom cooked, Prongs."

"I'm sure she did" James said, licking his lips at the thought of the feast his mother probably had laid out at home. He could hear the pots and pans banging already. "By the way Remy, what are you doing this summer?"

"I don't know, probably just gonna knock around the house a bit."

"Oh, you're welcome to come round my house at any time" James offered, ad he did every summer.

"Nah, my parents get worried when I'm away, I'll write you guys though" Remus said. He didn't want his parents to be worried, even if he went before or after the full moon. 

"'Kay then" James said. He peered out the window past Peters head which was leaning on it. "I think we're almost there" he said, as a series of tiny lights came into view. Remus leaned across the compartment and screamed into Peter's ear.

"OI! WAKE UP PETER, WE'RE ALMOST HOME!" Peter jumped so far out of his seat his head nearly hit the ceiling. 

"Sirius was that completely necessary?" Peter said rubbing his bright black eyes. 

"Yep" Sirius said as the train began to slow. "Well, mates, this is the end of the line" Sirius said solemnly. They grabbed their trunks and exited the train. The boys gave each other pounds and quick hugs before parting. Sirius completely ignored his parents as they welcomed his brother Regulus. They did little more than exchange icy glares. Remus watched as Mr. and Mrs. Potter welcomed Sirius and James warmly and they disappeared through the barrier. Peter also disappeared with his parents, and Remus looked around for his mother and father. They were standing a bit away from everyone else, looking for their son's familiar sandy brown hair. 

He ran as quickly as he could to them, considering the crowd. All three embraced tightly.

Remus' looks favored his father. His father had sandy brown hair, green eyes, and had a thin face. His mother had strawberry blond hair and Remus' brown eyes that were slightly flecked with amber. When they pulled away Remus saw a tear escape from his mother's eye and his father rumpled his hair playfully. 

"Good to see you son" his father said. A small crooked smile appeared on his face. Remus returned the gesture. "Well-lets be going then" he said, and together the small family disappeared through the barrier.

Remus was thoroughly enjoying his vacation so far. His parents were showering him with attention. They had saved up while he was in school and bought a bookcase and put his entire book collection in it. He had been so surprised when he went into his room and seen all of his books that were usually in cardboard boxes under his bed lined up perfectly, just like a library. There was even a row of new books, and so far he had spent the first two weeks devouring them. There were both Muggle books and wizarding books. He read Pride and Prejudice, Hogwarts, A History, and various others. He was soon done though, because he had nothing much else to do but read. So he decided that he wanted to go into the town near his house and buy more books from the Muggle book shop.

His parents however, weren't so sure about this idea. "I don't know, Remus," his mother said warily. They were sitting down at the small table in their kitchen, and his mother was gripping a cup of tea. She looked weary. He knew that his parents were having trouble making ends meet. His fathers small janitorial job at the Ministry of Magic and his mothers job working in a Muggle shop weren't bringing much in. 

"Mother, please" he said, taking her rough hand in his larger and slightly smoother one. "I hardly ever get to go out. It's not the full moon, and besides, it's broad daylight. I'm not just going to transform in the middle of the day."

His mother eyed him, as if unsure that we wouldn't transform spontaneously. However, she realized that she couldn't deny her son's logic. He made a lot of sense, and finally she gave in. "Fine. But you'll have to use your money, your father and I can't really spare any…"

"Thanks Mom!" he said and he hugged her tightly. She hugged him back and kissed his forehead. Remus jumped up from his seat and ran upstairs to his room. He opened his trunk quickly and pulled out the small money pouch he had. He counted how much Muggle money he had and stuffed it all into his pocket. Remus ran back downstairs, light-hearted because he was getting out of the house. Finally. After a quick kiss on his mothers cheek, he dashed out the door and into the sunshine.

**Hope you liked this, it's just a start, please review! I'm posting chapter two immediately after this, so please review and let me know how I can improve. Read the next chapter as well, and let me know if it gets any better, what I can improve, what you'd like to see more of, etc. Thank you!**


	2. Read My Mind

Authors Note-Second chapter! I doubt you know this but all of the chapter titles will be songs. Say Goodbye is by Chris Brown, and Read My Mind is by The Killers. This chapter sees a new someone in Remus' life, and a better insight (I hope) into his mind and what is coming. A brief cameo from the other marauders as well.

For many people, there is a second when their life changes. It's hard to feel it, because it's barely noticeable. Your heart beats faster, your mind plays subtle tricks on you, and in that one second, whether consciously or unconsciously, you know that your life won't be the same again. You know that something wonderful, something magical has happened and there's no reversing it, there's no changing it, because it's already done. Whether your life is changing for better or worse, is completely up to the fates.

This is how Remus felt. She wasn't gorgeous. She had a questionable beauty. Was she really pretty or did she just give off the air of prettiness? He didn't care. One look at her dark grey eyes, the color of the stones that he and his friends threw into the lake back at Hogwarts, one look into those eyes and everything about him changed. She had shoulder length hair that was so black when the light shone on it it appeared blue. Her nose was a normal size, and it had a small ridge in it. It was followed by her full, cupids bow lips, that had now parted into a smile as she handed a customer their bag of books. 

Remus had stopped at a display by the door as soon as he saw her. After swallowing her features whole, he quickly picked up a book from the display to pretend that he was interested in Perfect Potatoes. After reading that one of the secrets to growing such amazing potatoes was manure in the soil, he sighed and closed the book. As long as he was here, he may as well get a book that he was actually interested in. He strolled over to the fiction section, his hands brushing over the paperbacks that sat on their dusty mahogany shelves. Muggle books were so different from wizard books. The things that Muggles thought and said were like wizards, but there was always a difference. 

He continued down the rows, inhaling the scent of paper and dust, and stopped at H. His eyes flitted over the shelves until they saw the name Alduous Huxley. He picked dup the book Brave New World and began leafing through it. After deciding that he'd take it, he walked up to the end of the aisle so he could walk around to the register at the front of the store. Just as he had walked out from between the bookcases, he found himself landing in the floor. Hard. Pain shot through his shoulder but it was a feeling he was used to. He began to sit up slowly just in case something was dislocated and he heard a frantic scrambling. "Ouch, I'm so sorry!" Came a voice not too far from him, letting him know that more than one person had been introduced to the brown carpeting. 

"No its okay he said and looked into the eyes of the girl-behind-the counter. "Let me help you with that" he muttered and he began picking up the books as well. He noticed a silver overturned cart next to her and putting his stack of books on the floor, he picked it up and set it right.

"You shouldn't be helping me, I almost killed you" she said as she unceremoniously stacked the books in the cart. "I'm such a klutz, everyone says it, I trip over air. Don't help me!" she squealed as he continued to pick up books.

Remus leaned over and gently grabbed her wrist. "It's okay. We're both equally liable. I don't mind helping you." A small smile crossed her face and her cheeks turned pink.

"I didn't mean to make it sound like I was brushing you off. I just-oh forget it." Together, quietly, they finished clearing the floor. They stood up and Remus brushed him self off and she pushed her hair away from her face and behind her ears, revealing small gold rings in her ears. "I'm Alina, by the way" she said.

"I'm uhh…" He was too busy looking at her slightly sun burnt shoulders and the red marks that the spaghetti straps of her shirt left in her skin. "I'm Remus."

"Remus" she said, as if tasting it. "I like it" she said breathlessly. He had never felt the urge to want to kiss someone as much as he did now. A sudden understanding of James and Sirius filled him. 

"Thanks" he said sheepishly. "I like yours too."

She blushed, then sighed. "Let me go put these books away before my boss kills me. Or worse, fires me. So I'll see you around, right, Remus?"

"Right-er go ahead. And you'll definitely see me around."

"Great, I can't wait" she said eagerly. Her cheeks flushed even more. "I'll go and shut up now. See you" she muttered and she walked away with the cart rather briskly. Remus couldn't move. It was as if his eyes were being opened for the first time. 

Later that evening, Remus' parents had begun to prepare for his transformation which would happen later that week. The basement was reinforced as it had been whenever Remus came to visit and the full moon was expected. Magical locks were placed on all of the doors. His parents walked around the room placing wards on it. He knew them all by heart. A Magic Repelling charm, so that no magical person or creature could enter the room until the full moon was over. A Solidifying charm so that he could not break the walls, floor, ceiling, door, or windows. An Impermeable charm, so that he could not smell the people in the house above him. And finally, a Muffling charm, so that no one could hear the screams and yowls of the young werewolf as he went through his transformation and got frustrated with his inability to escape.

Remus walked around the room as his parents put up the spells. He hated the room. There were wood chips strewn in various places through the room, the only evidence that there had ever been furniture there. He hated the feeling of transforming, the knowledge that for almost twelve hours he wouldn't be human any longer. He'd be a bloodthirsty animal. He hated knowing that if he escaped, he would most likely kill his parents. He hated this curse that completely consumed him. Sometimes, he hated himself. 

Everyday since he met Alina he had been going to the bookstore. Just to look at her. They spoke sometimes, but she was at work, and he didn't like interrupting her. Today was the night of the full moon. He was feeling down, drained. He didn't look forward to the wounds that he would wake up to, the excruciating pain of having extra bones put into your body that weren't meant to be there, and having the ones that were either deformed or removed. But today, before he went through all of that, he wanted to talk to Alina. He wanted to ask her to lunch in a few days, once his wounds had healed. So he hung around the bookshop until three, when she got off. 

She walked out the building with a book in one hand, while the other shielded her eyes from the sun. She stood in front of the store for a moment, and as she began to walk away, Remus called out to her. "Alina!"

She turned around, and beamed when she saw him. "Hey, Remus" she said. He almost hyperventilated when she said his name. 

"Er, I wanted to ask you something."

She smiled as if she already knew what he was going to ask her. "Go ahead."

"Will you go to lunch with me on Friday?" It was Tuesday.

She smiled even more and flushed. "Wow…okay. I go to lunch at 12:15."

"Really?" he said quickly. He had been prepared for a negative response. His heart soared in his chest, and he felt light as a soufflé. "I mean, okay. Where d'you want to go?"

"I usually go to this really great sandwich shop" she said, looking up at him, directly into his eyes. He felt as if those grey eyes could read every thought he had. 

"Whoa um-thanks. I'll be there, I promise."

"I promise too" she laughed. Remus laughed as well. Her laughter filled him with warmth, which was surely dangerous when it was already so warm outside. Her laughter died out, and her eyes became softer as she said "Well, I'll see you later." Her voice was just as soft as her eyes as Remus stared into them.

"See you" he said just as softly, and on impulse, gave her a hug. To his surprise she hugged him back, and he had never felt so good. It was like drinking ten bottles of butterbeer but without the side effect of a severe bladder problem. They hugged for what seemed like eternity, and when they parted, Remus wished that they hadn't. 

She reached up, ran her fingers through his hair, and whispered "See you, Remus" and walked away. He turned to head home as well, her voice ringing like a beautiful bell in his head. He had to write James and Sirius about this.

At 4:30 PM, Remus' parents took him downstairs to the dark room that was to be prison until the moon went down and the sun came up, announcing that he was free. But it would be about 14 long, hard hours. However, until he changed, he had Alina to think about. Her hair, which felt like corn silk as it tickled his chin while they were hugging. The feeling of his arms holding her, his hands resting on her back. The softness of her body as he pulled her to him. The curve of her lips as she whispered his name as if it was the name if the most delicate of flowers. He shivered involuntarily when he thought of her hands running through his hair…

"Are you okay, Remus?" his mother asked. She had noticed his shiver. "Are you cold?" He shook his head. A blanket would be a waste. He would eventually tear it to shreds. 

"We love you, son" his father said, and he kissed his forehead. His mother repeated the gesture, and added a hug at the end.

"It'll be okay, Remus" she whispered to him, stroking his hair. Having his mother hug him and stroke his hair evoked a different feeling than when Alina did it. When his mother did it, he felt more secure. For those few seconds he could actually believe that he would be okay. That the transformation wouldn't hurt. When she pulled away however, he felt a certain emptiness, and he wanted her to hold him again, but the door closed, and the locks turned. The room became a cavern of emptiness. He wasn't afraid. He'd never been afraid of the dark, because he knew that he was the only thing worth being afraid of in the room.

He walked over into a corner, near the small blackened window. He could just barely see the sky begin to turn orange. Remus turned from the window with a sigh. It would begin any minute now. He laid down on the floor, and concentrated on thoughts of Alina. Before long he let out a yelp of pain as his insides contracted. _Let the games begin _he thought wearily. 

_Click! Click! Click! Click! _That was the sound that Remus awoke to the following morning. He could barely move. What the hell had he done last night. He raised himself slowly and began an investigation as his parents walked in and began removing the wards. From what he could see, he several long gashes on his arms and legs, and from the feel of it, his back. There were several bite marks on his wrist, and he could feel scratches on his face. His whole body ached. He had probably been throwing himself against the walls and the door. His mother came over with a blanket and draped it over him. "Good morning Remus" she said softly, and she and his father helped him up. Holding him in between them, they exited the room, carried him up the steps, and placed him in his room. 

His father summoned potions from the bathroom as his mother propped his head and feet up on a pillow and began to inspect him carefully, making small, sad noises as she went along. Some of the cuts, scraped and bites she poked with her wand, and they healed over a bit. The ones that were too deep would need potions first, magic later. Remus' father sat next to him and held his hand while his mother prepared to administer the extremely painful potions. "Are you ready?" she asked, gauze and potion in hand. Remus nodded and his father squeezed his hand for reassurement. His mother poured some of the potion onto the gauze and went for the bite on Remus' wrist.

"AAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRHHHHHHHHHHHH!" 

The following day Remus received owls from both James and Sirius. He hadn't written to Peter. He opened Sirius' first.

_Moony! _

_I would never have thunk _the first line read. 

_But I'm proud. And Prongs is too! The stupid git_

_Could have sent his letter with this owl as well but _

_Nooo. He had to do it the "Potter way". Anyway mate,_

_I hope she's treating you well, I wouldn't want to have to_

_Hex your girlfriend. What do your parents say_

_About you going out with a Muggle? Do they_

_Know? Hope your "furry little problem" went okay._

_Well as okay as it could go. Well if you're still_

_Alive then I'm happy. Oh and Anne and Lily dropped by_

_Yesterday before they went to Anne's stepfathers summer_

_House. They're really coming around, Moony! See_

_You in a month._

_Sirius_

James' letter was next.

_Hey Remy! _

_Hope you're enjoying your vacation as much as Sirius_

_And I am. Are you doing tons of magic since you're_

_Of age now? And this new, mysterious girlfriend_

_Sirius says that she's a Muggle! Well done!_

_I bet you didn't even need a Love Potion. Lily and I_

_Are well on our way to a relationship (I hope) but she_

_Stopped calling me Potter and calls me James now._

_It's a start! I can't wait till all of us Marauders can meet up_

_Again. We've already started planning for seventh year._

_Gotta go out with a bang! (Literally!) We (You, Me,_

_Peter, Sirius) are gonna meet up to get books when_

_Our lists come. I'll let you know details later. Mom_

_Says you're always welcome to visit. (When you're not on_

_Your monthly course, of course.) Have fun with_

_Alina (that is her name, right? Well that's what Padfoot says)_

_James_

Remus smiled and let the owls go without a reply. He would write later. His wounds were healing well, and Friday was looming closer and closer. He couldn't wait to go out with Alina…he couldn't stop thinking of her. His mother bustled in with some food for him, and made a fuss over his wounds. He ate and began to drift into sleep. Alina's face and voice filled his mind, and he slipped into a safer place where he didn't have a "furry little problem."

**So-what do you think? Read and review! What do you want to see more of, how can I improve, etc. I've started Chapter Three now, but it was put off because I was writing some of the middle of the story. I know it sounds weird, but I got the most amazing inspiration for a few lines that grew and grew…they'll change a bit most likely, but it's given me a better idea of which way I want the story to go in. **


	3. Addicted

**Authors Note-My sister caught this, and I wasn't sure if anyone noticed it, or if anyone cares, but Remus' mother works in a Muggle shop because she is a Muggle. JKR says that Remus is in fact, a half-blood, which means that either one of his parents or grandparents was a Muggle. I decided that his mother would be a Muggle, because it more easily explains the money situation in the Lupin household. **

**RemusLupinFan-Thank you! I re-read parts of the books where Lupin was speaking, and I've tried to be as true to his personality as possible!**

**(By the way, all of my character research was done on with reference directly from the books as well. Thanks, Lexicon!)**

_Everyone gets nervous. It's natural_, Remus thought to him self. But he couldn't stop looking in the mirror in his bathroom. His hair seemed to be determined not to go into any proper style. He had tried to comb it down straight like Sirius' but one burn on his ear from his mothers' hot comb and he abandoned that idea. He tried to make it messy, like James' but his hair was nowhere near unruly. It allowed itself to be combed every morning, and did nothing to disturb him during the day. It was sort of shaggy, because he didn't like it too short, but it was nothing like Sirius' trademark mane. He finally decided to just comb it as usual and let it be. Today he's be Just Remus.

Just Remus walked back into his bedroom and put in his pants and sneakers. He didn't want to look like he was trying to impress Alina, though he was. His stomach and heart fluttered every time he thought of Tuesdays' connection. There had been so much in those simple gestures, the hug, the touching of hair, but it had meant a lot to him. He checked the watch on his wrist with the cheap leather wristband. It was 11:55. Damn. He wasn't ready yet, and he wanted to be at the bookstore early. He thought about spraying some cologne on himself, then decided to not. He pulled on his shirt, grabbed his keys, the little bit of money that he had left, and put a comb in his pocket. Just in case. His parents were both at work, so he left from his room and went straight to the bookstore.

As he walked down the worn path, he felt full to the brim with happiness. There was a slight breeze blowing through the trees. There was a rustling next to him, but he brushed it off as some type of animal, a squirrel or a rabbit. Remus entered the town, and quickly passed the bank, which was a small, squat two story building, with graying brick, and vines coming up the side. He also passed a ladies clothing store, with neatly tailored dresses and dress suits in the display windows. He paused at a stand with overflowing crates of brightly colored fruits. He paid the vendor for a small bag of grapes. He was hungry after the walk into town, even though he'd had breakfast.

Finally he came to the bookstore. It had large windows that were sectioned into individual rectangles, and the outside colors were eye-pleasing. The building itself was green, and the window panes were red. The trimming around the building was brown. For once, Remus didn't go in. He waited outside and tried to eat some grapes, but for some reason he was no longer hungry. Remus didn't have to wait for long. The chimes on the door tinkled, and Alina came out. Not seeing her for two days had made him needy. He wanted to sweep her into his arms, but he held back the urge gnawing at him.

"Hey, Remus" she said in the soft voice he had come to love. "Where ya been?"

He walked closer to her and they hugged briefly. "I had a few things to do around the house" he lied with ease. He was used to excusing his absence every month to his classmates.

"Oh, alright. Shall we go?" She held out a bent elbow to him and they linked arms. "The restaurant isn't far" she said as if he wouldn't follow her into the fire and brimstone bowels of hell if she asked him.

"Okay" Remus said. He was at a loss of words all of a sudden. All the witty banter and conversation topics he had rehearsed in his bed during the two days that he was recovering had flown from his head.

"So what do you like to do in your spare time?" She asked after she waved to a few people that they passed.

Think about you he thought. Instead he said "Read, you know that already of course. Um, I like to fly-" Shit Crap Hell. He cursed himself over and over in his head. He couldn't possibly tell her about flying on a broom-

"Fly? Like on airplanes?" she asked. He exhaled thankfully.

"Yeah like on airplanes" he said quickly. He didn't want her to have a chance to think on what he said for too often.

"Where have you been to? I've always wanted to go somewhere exotic."

Remus quickly scanned through his choice of places. "Spain" he blurted out. Damn he didn't even speak a lick of Spanish. How to explain this one?

"Ohh, that must have been exhilarating" she said breathlessly. "Here we are!"

They had stopped in front of a red-brick building, and the sign over the door said "Sam's Subs." Alina led him inside the store and up to the beige counter with metal trim. They perused the large lighted menu above them. Remus squinted to read the small type. "Hmm…" she said thinking. "I'll have a lean pastrami on regular hero bread, light mustard, medium lemonade." The man behind the counter scribbled down her order, and looked towards Remus.

"Erm…I guess I'll have what she's having." The man moved away to start preparing their food. "So what do you like to do in your free time?" he asked nervously.

"Read-like you-umm…I like to go to parties, and dance. I like to hang out with my friends" she said giving him a nudge. He beamed down at her. They were friends. "I really like animals as well, especially dogs. Do you have any pets?"

Remus wanted to say that he was probably the closest thing he'd ever had to a pet but he didn't. "No, my Dad is allergic to most furry animals." He was becoming a regular grade-A liar like Sirius. Oh no. Anything but that. The man behind the counter was wrapping up their sandwiches and placing them on trays, his hands flying as he worked.

"Oh, I have a dog, a Dalmatian-"

"That'll be five pounds" the man behind the counter said. His olive colored eyes landed on Remus who hastily began to pull money out from his pocket.

Alina saw this and said quickly "I can pay for myself, really." She too began pulling out money.

They went back and forth for a few seconds over who would but it until the man said "Well someone needs to pay, I have people behind you." Sure enough there were several other customers scowling at the two of them. Remus dropped a five pound note into the mans large brown hand and picked up his and Alina's tray.

They walked to a booth by the window of the store. "It feels so good to eat with someone at lunch" she said unwrapping her sandwich as Remus did the same. "Usually I eat on boxes in the storage room". She laughed and shook her head, and he laughed with her. They began to eat in a comfortable silence, and Remus looked out the window at all the shops and people passing by. _This is what I've been missing all this time _he thought.

"What are you thinking about?" Alina said. He must have appeared to be in deep thought because she was had a questioning look on her face.

"Just that so far, this has been a pretty great summer." She blushed brightly.

"Yeah, mines is turning out pretty good too."

* * *

Before heading back home, Remus walked Alina back to work. Their arms were linked again, and Remus had never felt so lighthearted. They finally came back to the bookstore, and before she went in, they embraced again. Only this time, she gave him a small kiss on his cheek. His face burned red and she laughed lightly. "Thanks for taking me to lunch Remus."

"You're you're welcome'" he stammered. His entire face felt like someone had doused him in gasoline and thrown a lit match at him. "See you later".

She kissed him again. Oh God did she know what she was doing to him both physically and mentally? "Kay, see you" she said and she walked into the bookstore. He watched her walk in and she must have known that he would because she turned around and waved at him one more time before disappearing into the back room. Remus turned around and walked home. He felt like flapping his arms because at this moment, he was sure that he could fly.

* * *

Later that night as he lay in his bed, the tiny wind carrying the scent of the lilacs underneath his window through the open window and across his face and bare torso, Remus couldn't recall a time when he had felt so content within himself. He rolled onto his side and looked out the window, where the three quarters moon sat, taunting him. For once the moon didn't fill him with anger. Instead, it reminded him of Alina's eyes. He laughed to himself. He'd known the girl for about a week and already he couldn't get enough of her. He was afraid to tell his parents, because they'd be worried about her finding out his secret. But he was just so happy he wanted to scream to let it all out. Instead of screaming, he closed his eyes and allowed Alina to take him into the mysterious world of sleep.

* * *

The next two weeks went by without any disturbances. Without fail, Remus would find himself at the bookstore everyday, whether to buy a book or to just have an opportunity to be around Alina. Before Remus knew it, there were only three weeks left to the summer holiday, and the full moon was once again approaching faster than he would have liked it to. However, even the looming black cloud of his monthly transformation hung over him couldn't suppress the excitement that he felt. Everyday he and Alina grew closer, whether from stolen moments among the bookshelves almost twice Remus' size to the conversations that they would have when he walked her home after work. The time they had after work was the best because her boss, a six foot six, ice-blond haired giant wasn't there to try and catch her wasting time and give Remus death looks with his hard eyes that reminded him of the cool, colorless water of the small lake by Alina's house.

They would walk, her small, slightly callused hand in his larger, more scarred one, and they would talk about anything that their minds settled on. Every time she brought up school, Remus would cleverly and casually navigate the conversation to something else. It wasn't time for her to know that he was a wizard. Not just yet. He knew that he couldn't avoid the topic forever, and that soon she would want to discuss it. He wasn't sure how he would handle it though. He didn't want to lie to her. Not for moral reasons, of course, but because there was no way he could lie without getting found out. He knew the names of precious few Muggle schools and the ones that he did know about were either too close to where the both of them lived, or he knew no where near enough about them to try and pretend that he attended them.

This night was the kind of summer night that memories are made on. After the heat of the day, a slight wind had picked up, and there was a small breeze that stirred the trees into quiet song as it tickled their leaves. Remus and Alina were on the bank of the lake by her house, under a large tree that sung them a sweet melody as they sat under their branches. Alina was leaning against the trunk of the tree and Remus' head was in his lap. He shivered as she absentmindedly stroked his hair as they looked up at the stars with Remus pointing out various constellations.

"There's Orion" he said, pointing to a wide cluster of stars. "And the Plough, and Scorpius." He searched the sky some more. "Those are the only ones that I know off the top of my head" he admitted sheepishly.

"Well that's a lot better than me, I don't know any. How can you differ one star from the next?"

"It's like a connect the dots puzzle. You're given the points and their locations, but its left up to your imagination to draw the lines."

"You make it sound a lot easier than it looks" she said, shaking her head. "Did you have to learn them for school?"

Remus' heart skipped a beat. Maybe this was a sign that he needed to tell her…but he'd only known her a couple of weeks, how could he tell her that he was a wizard? If she reacted badly he could always try a Memory Charm, but would he be able to bring himself to do that? He's think about it afterwards, but he hoped that he wouldn't have to.

"Yes" he said tentatively. "For Astronomy."

"Your school teaches Astronomy? What school do you go to? You never told me."

"Ho-Ho-Hogwarts" he said quietly. He waited for her reaction.

"Hogwarts?" she laughed. "Are you serious? That's the name?"

"Yep, Hogwarts."

"Where is that?" How could he tell her that he didn't even know, he just knew where the train took him every year. He laughed inwardly at the fact that he had been at the school for six, going on seven years and had no idea of its exact location.

"It's up north" he said, taking a guess.

"Wow, is it some kind of school for special students, I've never heard of it."

Remus bit his lip to stop himself from letting out too much too fast. "Yeah, it's a special school." He had been looking away at a house in the distance, and the faint black shapes moving in the windows. In his peripheral vision, though, he could see her grey eyes, twinkling in the pale white light of the moon, boring a hole in his head.

"What kind, of special school?" she said suspiciously. Remus could hear her voice take on a tone that asked for a complete answer to the question.

He raised his head from her lap and sat up next to her. She turned to him, and the look on her face was almost accusatory.

"If I tell you, you won't believe me at first. But don't get scared, and don't jump to conclusions. Just let me finish what I have to say. Promise?" He picked up her hands from where they hung limp in her lap.

"Promise" she whispered.

"I'm-I'm a wizard?"

Her face contorted in confusion. "Wha-"

"You said you would hear me out, now listen." She glared at him momentarily, then shook her head wearily. "Okay. I'm a wizard. But not like the magicians you see in the circus, or on the television. Those are illusions. I can do real magic." Alina dropped his hands and laid back against the trunk of the tree, her face a perfect slate devoid of all emotion. He waited for a moment to let her digest it. Her mouth opened and closed a few times, and then waved her hand in a motion that said _carry on_. He opened his mouth to speak, and she stopped him.

"I don't know whether to ask you to show me, or if I should run and have you taken away by an insane asylum" she said, her voice cracking slightly.

He grabbed her arm. "Let me show you." He reached into his pocket and pulled out his wand. She stared at it dumbfounded. Remus pointed it into the air above his head, and muttering a Conjuring Spell, butterflies appeared from the tip of his wand. Alina looked up at them and scrambled away.

"How-how the hell did you do that with that-that _stick?" _she asked, her eyes wide and shining as she watched the yellow insects dance and flutter in the small breeze that was blowing again.

"It's not just a stick" he said, turning it over in his fingers. "It's a wand. It's how I channel my magic."

"I can't…fucking…believe this." Remus cringed slightly at the foul word coming from the angelic face. "What else can you do with your…_ahem…_wand?" She crawled back over to him and stared at him with a rapt expression on her face. For the next half-hour, Remus amazed and pleased her by showing off his magic. He made water gush from his wand, he turned a small pebble into a ladybug, charmed the grass surrounding them to grow at an alarming rate, and made a bouquet of lilacs appear from the tip of his wand.

Alina was both scared and entranced. Several times she muttered "This can't be real" while he continually assured her that it was. Finally, she said "I don't want to believe it, but here's the proof in front of me" she said, referring to the various examples of his magic still around them. "Are your parents-er-wizards as well?"

"Well, my dad is" he said as she leaned her head on his shoulder. "My mom is a Muggle."

"What the hell is a Muggle?" she said lazily as she dipped her bare foot into the dark water that gleamed as if the sky had accidentally dropped stars onto the earth.

"Non-magical people. People…like you." Next to him he felt her body tense slightly as she clenched and unclenched her fists.

"So is that what you call me to yourself?" she asked, trying to mask the anger in her voice with an airy tone. "Alina the Muggle?"

"No, no! Why would I do that?" he said quickly. "Muggle isn't meant to be derogatory…it's just for reference, I guess, like how I'm a wizard."

Her body relaxed. "I don't want you to go back to school" she said softly. Any hostility that Remus had heard in her voice before had disappeared. "I'm scared, to tell you the truth."

He was afraid that he had offended her. "Does my magic scare you? I won't do it around you anymore I-"

"No, because I have so many feelings for you. And when you go back to school, what am I going to do? I know I sound like a bad romance movie but I've really, truly, never had this type of emotion towards anyone." They were both silent for a second, and she sat up quickly. "It's okay if you don't feel the same way" she said in a rush. "I won't be mad."

Remus wrapped his arms around her, and pulled her into his lap. They were so close to each other that he could feel her heartbeat echo into his chest. He felt something warm and damp seep through his shirt and buried his face into her hair and breathed in deeply. "If I didn't feel the same way, I wouldn't have shared my secret with you." he said, his voice muffled by her hair.

She looked up at him, and he felt as if he had plugged his hand into a socket as a current of something, he couldn't identify it, surged through his veins, warming him. He leaned towards her, and their lips met. Her mouth tasted like the stick of mint bubblegum he had given her earlier, but with a slightly sweeter taste. She pulled away and laughed.

"Why are you laughing?" he asked, his face red with embarrassment.

"I don't know. I'm just feeling kinda happy. I didn't expect my summer to be like this. I'm glad you came to the bookstore that day, Remus Lupin" she said, and she kissed him lightly again. Instead of responding, he kissed her again, and they fell into the long grass that Remus had grown. James and Sirius are gonna get a kick out of this he thought. I just had the best first kiss in the world.

**Sooo? Whatcha think? I'm on the fence with this one-I like it. Sorry if I'm developing their relationship too fast, I just wanted them to connect more before the next full moon, and before he returns to Hogwarts. As usual, read and review! Expect Chapter Four by Wednesday or Thursday, I want to see if I get more reviews so I can make Chapter Four as good as possible. **


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